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SL1 Mississippi Braves

Playoff Hopes Wane as M-Braves Split Twin Bill

September 1, 2014 - Southern League (SL1)
Mississippi Braves News Release


Huntsville, AL - The Mississippi Braves' 2014 playoff chances took a hard hit on Sunday night after splitting a rain-delayed doubleheader with the Huntsville Stars, winning the opener and dropping the night cap by the same score, 6-2.

With Jacksonville defeating Mobile 5-0, Mississippi (43-26; 82-56) needed to win both to stay in control of their own fate. Now the M-Braves need to win Monday's season finale and get a BayBears win over the Suns to advance to the playoffs.

After the first game was delayed for three hours and three minutes by rain and the ensuing field conditions, the M-Braves got off to a hot start against Stars (31-38; 77-62) starter Jed Bradley. With two outs in the first, Kyle Kubitza walked and Cedric Hunter ripped an RBI triple to start the scoring.

Rich Poythress made it 2-0 with an RBI single, and Barrett Kleinknecht drove him in with a double to make it 3-0 in the first.

The Stars bounced back with an unearned run in the first. After Williams Perez was hit with a comebacker on his second pitch for a Nick Shaw infield single, Andrew Robinson came on in relief. A two-out error by Poythress moved Shaw to third, and Hainley Statia drove him home with a single.

Robinson (5-0) picked up the win in relief, firing three shutout frames on one hit and three strikeouts. He also ripped his first career extra-base hit, a one-out double in the second to set up a Kyle Kubitza RBI single for a 4-1 lead.

The Braves put up two more in the third for a 6-1 lead. Kleinknecht homered to left-center, his ninth round tripper of the year to make it 5-1. Daniel Castro followed up with a single and Braeden Schlehuber clubbed an RBI double for a 6-1 lead.

Ryan Kelly gave up a late relief run in the sixth, but the M-Braves held on for the win.

Bradley (5-8) took the loss, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits and a walk, striking out two.

In the second game, Joe Gardner (3-3) met his first adversity as an M-Braves hurler. The right-hander allowed four runs on five hits over four frames, suffering his first loss as a Brave in three starts.

The Stars and Braves swapped early runs. Huntsville's Nick Ramirez hit a two-out single and Hector Gimenez doubled off the wall for a 1-0 lead in the first. Mississippi fought back in the third when Matt Kennelly doubled and Jose Peraza- just activated from the disabled list between games- singled home the tying run.

Huntsville struck for three two-out runs in the fourth to pull away. Robinzon Diaz singled on the infield and a throwing error moved him to second. Joey Paciorek walked and Erik Komatsu doubled home two runs. A batter later, Shea Vucinich singled in Komatsu for a 4-1 lead.

Mississippi got a run back in the sixth on a Kubitza inside-the-park home run off the center field wall, their third inside-the-parker of the season joining Elmer Reyes in May and Gustavo Nunez in mid-August.

Komatsu hammered the final nail in the coffin with a two-run home run off Jorge Reyes in the sixth, pulling the final to 6-2 Huntsville.

Austin Ross (2-3) picked up the win for Huntsville, allowing one unearned on four hits and a walk, striking out six over his five frames.

The teams combined for nine errors total in the double header.

For the third time in four halves dating back to the start of 2013, the M-Braves take the South division race down to the final game of the half. Right-hander Mitch Atkins (6-1, 3.56) takes the mound for the Braves in the must-win opposite Stars left-hander Brent Suter (10-10, 4.06). First pitch is slated for 1:00 PM CT.

Listen live to Kyle Tait on the call beginning at 12:30 PM CT on 103.9 WYAB and online at MississippiBraves.com.

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Southern League Stories from September 1, 2014


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